Republican presidential candidates, from left, Sen. Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, Donald Trump, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush pose for a group picture during the CNN Republican presidential debate at the Ronald ... more

Photo: Mark J. Terrill, STF

Saturday letters: Vaccines, HERO, Milo Hamilton

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Ignorance option

Regarding "Republican vaccine debate has physicians despairing" (Page A4, Friday), so Donald Trump "believes" that childhood vaccines cause autism? And this, in a nutshell, is my problem with the GOP. Somehow the GOP has morphed into a party where it is acceptable to be anti-science. Reality is not open to interpretation. It is not a matter of opinion. Whether or not Donald Trump or Mike Huckabee or Jeb Bush "believe" in gravity or thermodynamics or global warming does not affect reality.

However, they have somehow come to believe that their ignorance is a valid point of view. It is not. Ignorance is not the other side.

Holocaust deniers are not entitled to their opinion about their side of the story. People who believe that the Earth is flat or that Obama is a Muslim do not deserve to be heard. Ignorance is not an opinion, it is simply ignorance.

Is it asking too much of the candidates for the highest office in the land to be, at the very least, rational and sane? Clearly, in the GOP, these have become optional character traits.

Regarding "Hero concerns" letters (Page B15, Sept. 6,), I am the mother of a son and a transgender daughter. I am also a strong supporter of Houston's Equal Rights Ordinance.

HERO is not about bathrooms; it is about equality for all. Minnesota and many cities in Texas have had equal protection laws for many years. Their law enforcement officers report no increase in public safety incidents. In Houston, it is illegal to enter a bathroom to harm or harass anyone. This will not change with the passage of HERO.

HERO is about equality in jobs, housing and opportunity for all Houstonians. It encompasses 15 different categories including race, religion, veterans, age, gay and transgender.

Regarding "Farewell, Milo" (Page A1, Friday), I loved listening to Milo calling Astros games. It is fitting that he is being honored by the Astros with a patch on their uniforms.

Without diminishing Milo's accomplishments one bit, I wish that Gene Elston's passing could also be remembered as more than a footnote and recognized ("Gene Elston 1922-2015," Page C1, Sept. 6), perhaps, by another patch or by some other appropriate means? I, too, loved his broadcasts.